4/29/12

VIDEO: Derby Festival Mini-Marathon

Race Report to follow shortly. In the mean time, enjoy the video montage from the race.

4/27/12

These Are THE Good Times

I’m here in KY with my BFF & Soror, MsPattey. I just upped and registered her for the Derby Half Marathon this past November for her Birthday – what are good friends for if not to register your friends to run long azz races for hours – and in return she got us tickets to see Diana Ross for my birthday.

 

Who got the better deal?

 

I got off the plane and we went straight to the MAC counter at Macy’s and had eyelashes put on. We had decided we were going glammed up for the concert.

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I am now an eyelash JUNKIE! LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! LOVE THEM!! I prolly wont wear them to work everyday, but they are now a full part of my Sparkle Diva Glam routine. How did I not have this as a part of my full Sparkle?

 

We got to the house, glammed up and went back up to Louisville to the concert.

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Diana Ross was AWESOME! She is a true performer. She sang all the favorites and a few Billy Holiday tunes and did FIVE wardrobe changes. FABULOUS!!! Enjoy this little clip I put together from the concert.

Next to the Tina Turner Concert, Diana was just…great music & entertainment. Have you seen her in concert?

 

Off to pick up our race packets…

4/21/12

IM 70.3 Ntl Harbor–2 Days of Work, 105 To Go

A little over 12 weeks to go till IM 70.3 National Harbor. I’m getting it in, following my training plan, learning a lot from my Coach (aka…mini-terr.or.ist). He came out to run with me today.

 

I asked to stop to try and adjust my sock (which apparently have wardrobe malfunctions too) because I was feeling a blister coming on. Well, my sock (which had lost it’s elasticity/shape) was bunching up and causing a nasty little blister to form. We stopped to make the adjustment and started running again. Coach asked me how it was feeling and I remarked that it will probably be nasty one by time we finish. Coach was all like “DA HELL NO! We are turning around. Take your shoe off, try it without the sock. NO! Still not working. HUMPH. Take your shoes off, lets run in the grass barefoot. You got a half marathon next week and a blister is NOT GONNA WORK!”

 

Crazy cakes. But it really did feel great to run barefoot. Takes some getting used to and I won’t be taking it up for really long runs, but something I will consider. Moving on. CONSIDER – you heard that right.

 

Coach made a point and it was my big takeaway for today which was I have been doing all the training & conditioning up to today and that doing a walk/run back to out car and only doing 7.5 miles vs 10 isn’t going to change anything between now and next Sat.

 

He said, “You are already ready for the race. Don’t let pushing through a workout and getting hurt take you out of a race you are already prepared for.”

 

Profound. To me.

 

We did intervals back to the car, ran into CassandraL and TerriT out on the trail (they were cycling and got in 22miles). Coach bought me an awesome veggie burger and we headed back home, where I did all the things he instructed me to do –like buy new socks – air out that hotspot on my foot – and relaxed the rest of the day.

 

Feeling good. 105 days to go!

 

I AM A TRIATHLETE! …and I will be an Ironman (at least half of one) too!

The Clyde’s 10k 2012

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The Clyde’s 10K is one of my favorite races as it is my home town race and there is lots of food but more importantly BEER at the end. MY KIND OF RACE.

 

This year I ran with a bunch of ladies from Black Girls Run and I even hosted a little pre-race carb loading event at my house and we had a most wonderful time and the food – FABULOUS. I made a lasagna & bruschetta, one of the ladies (pardon my forgetting your name) brought curry chicken which The FireMarshall devoured, red velvet cookies, some decadent cake bars, wine-water-wine-water and more. What a great time swapping stories & tips.

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THAT was the way to pre-race.

 

Race day was not really a race day for me. According to my torturer, I mean Coach, this was just my regularly scheduled long run, minus some miles. I was supposed to just run it and try and keep my HR in Zone 2. I believe the objective through all this training is to condition my body to operate efficiently in Zone 2-3 for long periods of time so that I have the endurance to Swim-Bike-Run for hours and not wipe myself out. Thus, I started easy and decided to practice my chi-running techniques.

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Whenever I started to feel winded, I slowed down to get my heart rate back under control. I felt pretty good the entire course. Hills – still the bane of my existence. Still need lots of work on them, but for the most part, I chopped those hills up. The FireMarshall came out to take pictures. SIGH. Most of the pics were of the Where’s Waldo type. I guess he couldn’t figure out how to use the great big lens on the front.

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I didn’t beat my time from 2010 (and I wasn’t running to do that either), but I did move up higher from the bottom of the heap. I’m moving on up!

 

2009     1291/1357 (66 from bottom) 1:15:58.45

2010     1210/1292 (82 from bottom) 1:14:03.95

2012     1674/1798 (124 from bottom) 1:17:23.83

 

And while I certainly didn’t come close to placing in my age group, I was way up from the bottom in that category too! GO ME! I came across the finish line victorious and ready for some beer.

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RUN, DIVA, RUN!

AND

STAY THIRSTY!

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4/20/12

Stay Thirsty My Friends

While I get myself and a race report together from the Clyde’s 10k, I thought I would share some of the post race shenanigans.

 

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And of course I had company for the quenching of the thirst. BK from The Fit Lounge was a fellow imbiber of the “replenishment” drink. We’ve done this race together for 3 years now. Her focus on getting back into race form is motivation and inspiration. I’m so proud of her…and I loved her 3:1 interval race plan that kept her on target and got her through. GO BK!!!

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Now…if ever in doubt…STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS!

4/17/12

GIVEAWAY: It’s ALL about the Chocolate Milk!

Princess Cara is a persnickety eater. She doesn’t like food to touch, doesn’t like it if there is “things” in her food (eg. there can be NO bits of anything in her food/sauce – PERIOD),  no excess “juice” or water on her fruits and/or vegetables. She prefers foods that are simple and easily identified. It doesn’t sound complicated, but it is…and makes for fixing her meals – healthy meals- a hassle.

One thing she does love is chocolate milk; but despite her issues with mixing food, this is the one time where you can’t just fix her a glass of chocolate milk…it HAS to be the milk from her CocoPuffs cereal. GO FIGURE. We used to just give her just enough puffs to make the milk chocolate and then she would pick up the bowl and drink the milk or I would pour it into a glass after she ate the the cereal. Mmmm Hmmm. SPECIAL.

THEN…I got the opportunity to give Big G cereals new Curvy Straws a try…and WHA LA! A Happy Kid. No more slurping out the bowl or pouring into a glass.
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Big_G_Curvy_Straws_logo AND…Did you know that simply drinking the leftover milk from cereal bowls may help kids work towards fulfilling their body’s daily dairy, calcium, and Vitamin D needs? And what better way to slurp down to the bottom of the bowl than with the new Curvy Straws, available in-pack of specially marked boxes of Big G cereal! With these collectable, connectable Curvy Straws, children of all ages can enjoy mixing and matching to build bigger, colorful straws all while helping them work towards stronger bones and muscles through increased calcium intake!
  • Be sure to collect all six different colorful straws featuring beloved Big G cereal characters
  • Participating Big G cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese’s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz)
  • Made with more whole grain than any other ingredient, Big G cereal, combined with a ½ cup of milk, can help provide a great start to your family’s day
Whether you use one or connect them all, the fun with Big G Curvy Straws doesn’t have to stop when you reach the end of the bowl. Simply grab another serving of ice cold milk, and slurp away! Need more cereal to go with your milk? You can visit this link to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off of the purchase of (2) boxes of participating Big G cereal today!

Want to learn more about the Curvy Straws? Visit Whole Grain Nation Website: http://bit.ly/CurvyStraws.

I’ll make it even better. Would you like to play with your milk? Enter the giveaway and you too can have your own prize pack that consists of:
    Your prize pack will contain:Big G Curvy Straws Prize Pack photo
  • 1 box of a participating Big G cereal
  • 1 Curvy Straw
  • 1 ‘spilt’ milk bowl
  • 2 glow cups
  • 2 tangle toys
a Rafflecopter giveaway
“Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.”

4/15/12

Princess Cara’s Garden 2012

PLANTING

…and so it begins.

4/14/12

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!

When I entered West Point 29 years ago, I was academically prepared (or so I thought) but I certainly was NOT physically prepared. I was a NO GO at that station. It was immediately determined that I needed “remedial” PT (physical training) and not only did I have to suffer and be humiliated during regular PT with my peers, I got the privilege of doing an extra hour of PT with a group of physical misfits.

The “Master of the Sword” – aka the infamous Department of Physical Education (DPE) instructors got ahold of me and my fellow PT-NOGO’s and literally spent years torturing us with cartwheels, self-defense, indoor obstacle courses, PT tests & mandatory intramural sports (like flickerball – DA HELL).

…and eventually I was no longer a PT-NOGO. Just like that, fitness went from a chore to a lifestyle. I moved off of remedial PT to the Power Lifting Team where I won the 1984 NY State Powerlifting Competition for my weight class. I went from not being able to run up the block to finishing my 1st Marathon (Marine Corp) as a cadet. It took me 5 hours 19 min, but I finished.
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…and after I graduated, a former Master of the Sword, Maj M. Alexander, got his hands on me and had me get certified as an aerobics instructor as well as have us compete as an Army demo team at the Re.e.bok Aerobic Championships (remember those days?)
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Some years passed in between then and now…I stayed active but not like before and it caught up to me. Life, genetics, life, kids, life got in the way and I got a little thicker. I started teaching kickboxing again. I started running again. I became firmer, leaner, but I’m still thick love. Alas. 

…and then my friend, Becca, asked me to do a Triathlon with her and I have become a Tri-Crackhead.
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…and now the journey continues. From PT-NOGO to Triathlete to Vice President of TriUnify – my Triathlon Club with Becca as the President. HOW ABOUT THAT!
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AAAAANNNNDDD…I’m also involved (as Treasurer) of Strive2Tri – A Junior Triathlon Club. Please go over an check us out at www.strive2tri.org. Strive2Tri nurtures youth by:
  • Providing training, gear and access to local races.strive2tri
  • Challenging youth to work towards positive short and long term goals.
  • Managing a healthy weight through nutrition, education and exercise.
  • Volunteering in the community.
  • Encouraging family oriented recreation to support healthier living.
  • Fostering parental participation.
We are seeking sponsors, donations, volunteers, and looking for kids that would like to participate. Check us out and SWIM, BIKE, RUN.

I’ve come a long way over these last 25 years. *cue music*…Let’s get physical, physical…I wanna get PHYSSSSS-I-CAL!

SuperSTAAAAARRRR!

My company selected me to participate in the making of a sales training video around “Advancing The Sale” and, of course, I was a natural…as described in the feedback sent to my regional & district managers:

On behalf of ______, _______ the Brand team, and the crew, thank you for participating in the video shoot Friday!  You were such a pleasure to work with and professional too - it was amazing how you could cry on queue to deliver that riveting emotional component we were looking for in script 7.  Kidding aside, we had an amazing 3 days of filming –11 videos over 3 days and everything went off without a hitch.  This could not have been possible without great talent such as yourself, so again thank you.

I’m just saying.

 

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So, if need a gorgeous (yeah, I don’t have a self-esteem problem AT ALL) yet professional “actress” for your film, video or tv production…I’m available. How about a reality show – “Real Working Girl of DC”? I have great comedic timing.

 

I’m ready for my close up!

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4/8/12

I Got The Victory

We spent Resurrection Sunday with the family. The Fire Marshall and Princess Cara went off to church while I cooked and went on a short run. I put on my “Praise” track and as I was taking on that nasty little hill up Rt108 (which is part of the Clyde’s 10K run next weekend) the song “Victory” by Yolanda Adams came on. I tore that hill up singing at the top of my lungs…singing my life, my story…but I’ve got the victory!

 

Truly I been through the storm and rain
I know everything about heartache and pain
But God carried me through it all
Without His protection I'd surely fall
I been broke without a dime to my name
but all my bills got paid 'cause I called on Jesus name
You can't tell me that God isn't real 'cause
I got the victory and that's why I'm still here

I'm not worried 'bout material things I don't have
I just rest 'cause I'm sure in my savior's care
'cause I know that my blessing is on the way
I can't see it right now but I stand by faith
I fought many ,many battle's in His name
I held up the bloodstained banner and proclaim
that Jesus is the Truth and the Light
believe it when I say He will make it alright

 

What a glorious day it was!

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Cooking With Love–Deviled Easter Chicks

I saw a picture earlier this week that originally came from Pintrest and then circulated on FB of these deviled eggs that looked like chicks hatching. KEEEUUUTE! I just had to make them. There were no instructions that I could find, but if I can make deviled eggs on the fly, I should be able to handle copying some deviled egg looking chicks just from the picture.

 

Start with some boiled eggs – like DUH. Oh, and (at least for me) let them cool completely and use a spoon to remove shell so that the egg remains smooth & unbroken. Then I cut them on an angle & used a small spoon to help get the yolk out without damaging the egg.

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Put top & bottoms aside and make your filling. I have my favorite recipe…make your filling anyway you want. Once I had my filling ready, I put it in a quart size bag, cut out a corner and filled my eggs just as you would if you were working with frosting. Easiest way to fill an egg anytime.

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Once you have all your eggs filled (and over fill them as shown), put the caps on, add a sliver of carrot for the beak and whatever you want for the eyes. I hate olives so I used pieces of pickles…and WHA LA!

 

Deviled Easter Chicks

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It looks labor intensive, but not really any more than making regular deviled eggs. This was fun and a huge hit!

 

Hope you had a Blessed Easter!